The present invention relates to communications and, more particularly, to communications involving multiple subscriber lines.
The present invention is concerned with data and voice communications devices that share multiple telephone subscriber lines in an office or house. With the growth of data networks homes and offices are increasingly equipped with two or more telephone lines. Users will often have multiple data and voice devices connected to these lines. As a result, when one user attempts to access a telephone line through a communications device in order to make a phone call or establish a data connection, the user may find that the telephone line that the communications device is connected to is already in use by another user.
When the first line is in use, it is desirable to be able to change to the other telephone line in the home or office and attempt to place the call on that line. Often, changing line connections requires manual intervention to plug the communications device into a new line jack. Therefore, the need remains for a convenient way to switch between multiple communications lines.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, some of the problems associated with switching between multiple communications lines in the prior art are overcome.
An embodiment of a line switching apparatus for switching between first and second network lines, according to the present invention, includes a first terminal for receiving a first CPE line, the first terminal having first and second nodes. The apparatus has a first switching device having a common terminal for receiving a first network line, first and second switched terminals, and a control terminal for receiving a control signal, where the first switching device is configured to electrically couple the common terminal to the first switched terminal responsive to a first value of the control signal and electrically couple the common terminal to the second switched terminal responsive to a second value of the control signal, where the first switched terminal of the first switching device is coupled to the first node of the first terminal. The apparatus also includes a second switching device having a common terminal for receiving a second network line, first and second switched terminals, and a control terminal for receiving the control signal, where the second switching device is configured to electrically couple the common terminal to the second switched terminal responsive to a first value of the control signal and electrically couple the common terminal to the second switched terminal responsive to a second value of the control signal, where the second switched terminal of the second switching device is coupled to the second node of the first terminal.
A further refinement of the embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention includes a control unit. The control unit has a control output terminal for generating the control signal, a first CPE line input for receiving the first CPE line, a first network line input for receiving status information for the first network line and a second network line input for receiving status information for the second network line. The control unit is configured to store and output on the control output terminal one of the first and second values of the control signal. The control unit is further configured to receive a connection request signal over the first CPE line and, responsive thereto, check the status information for the first network line when the first value of the control signal is stored and output to determine whether the first network line is in use. When the first network line is in use, the control unit checks the status information for the second network line and, when the second network line is not in use, changes the control signal to the second value.
An embodiment of a method for switching between first and second network lines, according to the present invention, calls for coupling a first CPE line through a first switching device to the first network line and coupling the first CPE line through a second switching device to the second network line. The method also sets forth generating and storing a control signal, where the first CPE line is electrically connected to the first network line responsive to a first value of the control signal and the first CPE line is electrically isolated from the first network line responsive to a second value of the control signal, and where the first CPE line is electrically isolated from the second network line responsive to the first value of the control signal and electrically connected to the second network line responsive to the second value of the control signal.
A further refinement of the embodiment of the method according to the present invention sets forth receiving a connection request on the first CPE line. When the control signal has the first value, the method calls for checking whether the first network line is in use and, when the first network line is in use, switching the control signal to the second value. When the control signal has the second value, the method calls for checking whether the second network line is in use and, when the second network line is in use, switching the control signal to the first value.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention, which proceeds with references to the accompanying drawings.